Pig Cruelty Shown At Swedish Farms

Swedish Radio News has published disturbing pictures taken at a pig farm by an animal rights group which show the sort of scenes of animal cruelty highlighted in Denmark back in May this year.

The Animal Rights Alliance say they have evidence of other farms carrying out flagrant breaches of Sweden's tough animal protection laws.

Swedes have always prided themselves that when it comes to meat, buying Swedish is best. Confidence has always been high in the stringent quality checks regarding the living conditions of animals raised at Swedish farms and their subsequent journey to the kitchen table.

Back in May this year Swedish Radio News broadcast a report that lambasted the cruel methods used to raise pigs in neighbouring Denmark. The critics said that Danish bacon might be cheap but at what cost to the animal?

Now though an animal rights group in Sweden has filmed disturbing images taken secretly at a pig farm which show the sort of scenes of animal cruelty highlighted in Denmark - cramped pig pens, lack of food, the animals covered in sores and even eating a dead pig on the floor.

Swedish radio news which was given the tape, says the film is genuine and received no comment when contacting the farmer involved, Lars Hultström, who is chairman of the association for Sweden's livestock farmers, Swedish meats.

And the group, The Animal Rights Alliance say their film is not an isolated incident, they've filmed at other farms in the country which also breach Sweden's tough animal rights laws.

Now the media is investigating Sweden's animal health inspection system which has recently changed authorities and is looking into just how many times livestock farms are inspected every year.